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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22801147">Eccedentesiast</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Violettavonviolet/pseuds/Violettavonviolet'>Violettavonviolet</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Ambiguous Relationships, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Are those the right tags, BAMF Tony Stark, Bruce Banner &amp; Tony Stark Friendship, Dark Tony Stark, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, I Don't Even Know, I have absolutely no clue, I'm not a psychiatrist so pls don't judge me, Jarvis (Iron Man movies) is a Good Bro, Loki (Marvel) Does What He Wants, M/M, Maria Stark's A+ Parenting, Medical Inaccuracies, Morally Ambiguous Character, Not a Love Story, Psychopathology &amp; Sociopathy, Tony Stark &amp; His Bots, Tony Stark Doesn't Care, Tony Stark Has Issues, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony Stark has no heart, Villain Tony Stark, Wordcount: 1.000-5.000, but not really</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 19:07:04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,540</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22801147</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Violettavonviolet/pseuds/Violettavonviolet</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Eccedentesiast (n): a person who fakes a smile </p><p> </p><p>Tony hadn’t always been like that, like he was now. </p><p>Unfeeling, apathetic whatever you liked to call it.<br/>As a young boy, he had smiled a lot, he had been happy, uncaring. But with time, that had changed.<br/>With every painful turn in his life he had lost his smile just a tiny bit more.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Edwin Jarvis &amp; Tony Stark, Howard Stark &amp; Tony Stark, Jarvis (Iron Man movies) &amp; Tony Stark, Loki/Tony Stark, Maria Stark &amp; Tony Stark, Tony Stark &amp; Avengers Team, Tony Stark &amp; Stark Robots, Tony Stark &amp; the press</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>121</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Eccedentesiast</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi y’all, I’m back again with a new story. This is a lil experimental but I hope you’ll still like it! <br/>I don’t have anything to say about this otherwise so here ya go;</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tony hadn’t always been like that, like he was now. </p><p> </p><p>Unfeeling, apathetic whatever you liked to call it.<br/>
As a young boy, he had smiled a lot, he had been happy, uncaring. But with time, that had changed.<br/>
With every painful turn in his life he had lost his smile just a tiny bit more.<br/>
First, it was because he hadn’t wanted to smile one day for the press, and his mother had taken him aside and had explained to him in very certain terms that that was not acceptable. </p><p> </p><p>He was the Stark heir, so he would smile for the press regardless of his mood.<br/>
His first fake smile had been a bit wonky, hadn’t really matched him, but it had been there for the world to see.<br/>
That had been the beginning of the end.<br/>
Occasions like this happened again and again, and Tony? </p><p> </p><p>Tony had to sacrifice himself for the publicity.<br/>
Soon nobody could tell his fake smiles from the real ones apart, not that anybody but Jarvis ever could.<br/>
He grew bitterer with every shoot, every smile he had to fake.<br/>
It was almost a relieve in boarding school when nobody cared enough to make him smile, almost.<br/>
Because the atmosphere there, turned little boys into figurines, nothing childish nothing colorful nothing happy. When he finally got into college, he had nearly lost his smile. </p><p> </p><p>Then he met Rhodey, the best friend he ever had and his smile slowly returned, it was accelerating, but he knew that it wouldn’t last forever.<br/>
Then his parents died, and Tony, Tony was numb.<br/>
The people there, the ones getting buried had never meant anything to him, so why start now.<br/>
He learned that day that he could fake tears just as good as smiles and that nobody would ever notice the difference.<br/>
So he went on his way, going to parties and clubs that shouldn’t be open until he was twenty-one but were open for him anyway. </p><p> </p><p>He learned a lot in those years, the way that money could get you absolutely everywhere and everything and after a few millions nobody ever looked too closely on the legalities of actions.<br/>
He learnt that nobody cared and that the world wouldn’t stop spinning just because he wanted it to. He learned that weakness wasn’t acceptable, but a few young women in bed were. </p><p> </p><p>He grew colder and colder, more cynical because who was there to stop it?<br/>
Nobody. </p><p> </p><p>He knew that the things he was doing weren’t right, but trying to care hurt more than ignoring doubts so he ignored it.<br/>
Sure, he knew that his actions ruined peoples careers that his inventions killed people, but in the end?<br/>
He drank, and smoked and snorted cocaine off a models thigh and the world looked a bit better. </p><p> </p><p>He basically gave Obadiah the company because he didn’t wan’t the struggle, and the only thing he could be bothered with was drugs, sex and inventing.<br/>
His PA’s changed with the weather, one day a redhead next day a busty brunette, and maybe a blondie on the following. </p><p> </p><p>Nothing changed, not when the real Jarvis died, and he really cried, not when the new JARVIS was born, he simply went on with his life, apathetic.<br/>
Sure, he loved JARVIS but that couldn’t change the fact that he had lost his smile and would never gain it again. </p><p> </p><p>JARVIS, oh so smart JARVIS had tried to find a way, something, but there was nothing, he could still feel deeply, he loved his bots without questions, and maybe even Rhodey, but otherwise?<br/>
Nothing, a void inside of him.<br/>
He might have started to form a connection with Pepper before Afghanistan, but that was before.<br/>
He liked her on a basic level but not enough for any real feelings, it was more a matter of mutual respect that led him to keeping her.  </p><p> </p><p>After Afghanistan everything changed, or at least he tried to make it look like it.<br/>
Truth be told, he couldn’t care less about the people he was ‚saving,' it was more of a ,Obadiah betrayed me so I’m going to destroy every little bit of the thing, he betrayed me about‘.<br/>
Besides, a bit of good press was worth it, and he could still have his weapon, or ‚full body prothesis’ in his home without anybody worrying about the man having it. I truth, he might be a bit of a sociopath, or a psychopath, he wasn’t entirely sure, as he fit partly in both of those cases, but also somehow not.<br/>
He had never tested it, why would he, there was no reason for it. </p><p> </p><p>He went on with his life, until somebody dared to try and infiltrate his trust, which was the moment he drew the line.<br/>
SHIELD might think that they were sneaky, but in truth their try was rather plumb and really? </p><p>A hot red head who was also a badass, he already had one and she was more than enough. However, he let it slide because she was interesting and he was dying so why bother with the drama.<br/>
He didn’t tell anyone because truly, nobody needed to know. </p><p> </p><p>Pepper would handle the company Rhodey would get over it and his bots already knew. It got his attention, when SHIELD tried to get him to trash his party, clearly to get him to his lowest point and manipulate him into trusting them out of desperation, but it was fun to do, so he acted upon Natalies request and wasn’t at all surprised when he got a solution and a threat afterwards. He already knew what was inside of the syringe that Natasha gave him, but it was still helpful.<br/>
The badly cut video of his Father was hilarious, he knew what had actually been said that day, he had been there, but it was amusing. It was great to find the element, and make it, even though he truly despised the taste of coconut on his tongue.<br/>
Fury requested him for the boy band and Tony almost laughed, as if they could actually afford him, and the analyzation of his character was a joke, it didn’t even break down his second mask! </p><p> </p><p>He came to Germany anyway because he wanted to meet Loki and it was amazing. He loved Loki at first sight, he was the same as Tony but he had the courage to show it, didn’t hide it like Tony himself.<br/>
It was fun to fight with him, and Tony was sure that Loki too had figured out, what he was, but luckily he played along and everything went fine. </p><p> </p><p>Space was weird, different then anything else he ever saw, and the ships were worrying but he actually kind of didn’t care. He didn’t care about a lot f stuff, but he knew that the ships if they would come, wouldn’t, couldn’t harm any of the bots or Jarvis, Rhodey had his own suit, and Tony could protect himself and maybe even Pepper so he didn’t try to think about it too much.<br/>
Well, they won, and the avengers moved in with him, which might be the only thing Tony regretted since trusting Obi. </p><p> </p><p>He had to constantly be on guard, he had to smile and act as if he cared bout any of it 24/seven and it was so exhausting.<br/>
Eventually, he had enough.<br/>
He talked to an escaped and now free Loki who surprisingly understood him, and from then on he wasn’t good anymore, if he even ever was one to begin with. </p><p> </p><p>The Avengers didn’t notice immediately but after some time they too caught on.<br/>
It took them over five months to realize it, mind you. It was embarrassing. He didn’t help them fight evil, Loki had a suspiciously well equipped suit of armor and there were a lot more explosions involved.<br/>
Also he had started fucking Loki, because he was hot, and didn’t care that he didn’t really feel anything for anybody not mechanic.<br/>
Rather, Loki felt the same, he liked fucking Tony, he liked talking to Tony and making plans with Tony but he didn’t feel love either, not since the void, and maybe not even before that. </p><p> </p><p>The Avengers were of course, hilariously stupid about it, and tried to convince him that he was being manipulated but he simply smiled the disgusting fake smile he always did and threw them out of the tower. </p><p> </p><p>He couldn’t care less what happened to them, besides Brucie boy, who he was a bit indifferent about but inclined to at least respect maybe even like, so he gave Brucie a bit of magic juice from Loki and Bruce could go back to living his life without the hulk, pretty happy about the situation. </p><p> </p><p>Together Loki and Tony created a whole lot of mischief and pranks and they couldn’t care about the consequences so they didn’t. Pepper was managing the company and his money and Tony was living the best life.<br/>
One fateful day about a year and a half after New York, at a gala or another, he walked down the carpet, stopped for the photos and heard<br/>
“Give us a smile, Tony,"<br/>
and so he did. </p><p> </p><p>One fake smile at a time.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is it! What do ya think? Did you like it? Leave a comment with your thoughts on this, comments always make my day! <br/>I’m gonna post another one tomorrow or on Sunday so stay tuned for that! <br/>Bye <br/>Vio</p></blockquote></div></div>
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